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  • Draft school budget requires large drawdown from dwindling reserves

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 29, 2025

    The Wrangell School District could run short of operating funds by 2026 or 2027 if it doesn't receive new revenues or make large cuts to its programs. The school board discussed the first draft of its 2025-2026 budget on Jan. 20. Barring any notable changes between now and when the budget is sent to City Hall for approval by May 1, the district anticipates a deficit of $767,016, requiring a dip deep into the school district's dwindling reserves. This would leave the reserves at an estimated $51,...

  • Girls basketball team takes second place at Craig tournament

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 29, 2025

    The Wrangell girls basketball team took second in the inaugural Southeast Alaska Cultural Tournament, held in Craig from Jan. 23 to Jan. 25. After some back-to-back wins against the Ketchikan junior varsity team and Klawock, Wrangell eventually fell to hosts Craig in the championship game. Wrangell returned home adorned with a silver medal and a chip on their shoulder ahead of the upcoming rematches against Craig on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Wrangell. Wrangell started off the tournament strong, beating the Ketchikan JV team...

  • Boys basketball takes gold in Craig tournament

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 29, 2025

    The high school boys basketball team took first place in the inaugural Southeast Alaska Cultural Tournament, hosted by Craig Jan. 23-25. The Wolves won three of their four tournament matches, meaning Wrangell has won seven of their last eight matchups, dating back their out-of-town matches against Petersburg earlier this month. Though the tournament will not contribute to the Southeast conference standings, the win will certainly bolster the boys’ confidence ahead of the two-game home stand against Craig this weekend. The opening contest of the...

  • Addy Andrews and Aubrey Wynne's quest to inspire young volleyball players

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 29, 2025

    For their senior project, Addy Andrews and Aubrey Wynne are helping to coach the middle school girls volleyball team. During their four-year careers playing high school volleyball, they three-peated as Southeast champions, with just as many showings at the state tournament. Now, with their varsity volleyball careers behind them, Andrews and Wynne hope they can help the next generation find the same passion for the sport they love. "We try and make sure that they enjoy it," Wynne said. "We both...

  • Experts share preliminary causes for deadly 2023 landslide

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 22, 2025

    Unique bedrock formations, a thick layer of loose sediment, and a concentrated water drainage system flowing down from the ridgetop were three of the main ingredients that led to the Nov. 20, 2023, landslide that killed six people at 11.2-Mile. These three causes, all benign on their own, became disastrous when heavy rains down poured on Wrangell Island. Though the airport weather station reported rainfall conducive to a "large but not especially large" storm, members of the public who live...

  • The Wolf Shack offers New Mexican flavors and flair to the classic J&W's menu

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 22, 2025

    There's a New Mexican spot in town. Nope, not a new Mexican spot, a New Mexican spot. The Wolf Shack, formerly J&W's, officially opened its doors on Jan. 2, ushering in a new era bolstered by the culinary talents of Alisha Mora and Chris Miera. The couple will keep the classic J&W's staples on the menu (Carol Churchill has agreed to keep making her tartar sauce while menu items like "Baby Randy" and "Randy" will maintain their names), but Chris and Alisha are excited to add some New Mexican...

  • Electronic waste collection event scheduled for March 8

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 22, 2025

    If you need to throw away an old printer, maybe hang on to it just a little longer. On March 8, WCA Tl'átḵ | Earth Branch will host an electronic waste collection event. Time and location are yet to be determined, but the event will allow people to dispose of their old electronics in a sustainable and safe manner. Potential items to discard include computers, laptops, printers, scanners, TVs, monitors, cell phones and tablets. Earth Branch’s Kim Wickman said it’s best to fully wipe the memory from electronics like computers and phones before...

  • Boys basketball team sweeps Haines in home series

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 22, 2025

    Editor’s note: The Alaska School Activities Association later decided -- after the Sentinel went to press this week -- that the overtime period for the Thursday, Jan. 16, boys high school basketball game should never have been played. ASAA has apologized to both teams. The official score for the game will no longer include the additional points from Saturday’s overtime period. Thursday’s final score was Wrangell 55-54. ---------------------- The boys high school basketball team won three times...

  • Split decision: girls basketball goes 1-1 at home

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 22, 2025

    The girls basketball team split their home series against Haines on Jan. 16-17. Though the Wolves won on Thursday 49-46, their offensive struggles reemerged Friday in a 27-37 defeat. The Wolves, who entered the series with a conference record of 1-3, are now 2-4 on the season. Despite the Friday loss, the packed crowd left the gym with much to be optimistic about. The Thursday matchup between the Wolves and the Glacier Bears was thrilling from the tipoff. After scoring from Hailey Cook, Sophia...

  • U.S. Army delivers historic apology; four of seven clans accept

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 15, 2025

    As voices became hushed and the crowd waited for the ceremony to begin, a toddler mumbled an inaudible question to their mother. Amid a sea of people packed into the Nolan Center, the woman's response was clear and without question. "The Army killed our people here," she said, "and now they're going to say sorry." The U.S. Army apologized for the 1869 bombardment of the Tlingit village called Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw at a ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 11, in Wrangell. Of the seven Tlingit clans that rece...

  • Landslide experts return Saturday for follow-up public presentation

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 15, 2025

    Five months after their initial presentation to the community, a team of university landslide experts is returning to town to provide an update on their research surrounding the November 2023 landslides that hit Wrangell. Margaret Darrow and her team of experts will speak at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Nolan Center. The presentation is expected to run a couple hours and pizza will be provided. The event is free to the public. “It’s supposed to be another great presentation,” Nolan Center Director Jeanie Arnold said. “The last one was really inclusi...

  • American Legion Hall could be new home for Senior Center

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 15, 2025

    Wrangell’s Senior Center may be on the move. Three months after the borough proposed that the Senior Center relocate to the community center’s multipurpose room, a change in plans may be in order as the center explores the possibility of a new home: the American Legion Hall. Recent discussions between Juneau-based Catholic Community Service, which operates the Senior Center, and Wrangell’s American Legion Auxiliary have propelled the Legion Hall into pole position for the center’s eventual landing spot. Staff at Catholic Community Service...

  • Boys basketball sweeps Petersburg, secures first wins of the season

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 15, 2025

    The Viking is no match for the Wolf, at least by the logic of Southeast high school boys basketball. The Wrangell High School boys basketball team triumphed over Petersburg in both their matches last weekend. On Friday, Jan. 10, the Wolves won 57-36, following up with a 45-35 win on Saturday, Jan. 11. The games put Wrangell in the winning column for the first time this season after a tough four-game skid against Metlakatla to open the season. The Wolves currently sit third in Southeast. Though...

  • Girls split series at Petersburg, home games against Haines this week

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 15, 2025

    After a slow start, the Wrangell High School girls basketball team secured their first win of the season in Petersburg on Saturday, Jan. 11. The Wolves split the two-game series with their rivals, dropping the Friday game 34-36 before rebounding on Saturday in a 47-33 triumph. Wrangell now sits third in Southeast (1-3) but will look to make up ground on Haines (1-1) in a two-game home stand Thursday and Friday. Though the Wolves dropped the first game by just two points, it wasn't because they...

  • Plans taking shape for Saturday's Army apology for 1869 bombardment

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 8, 2025

    On Saturday, Jan. 11, the U.S. Army will issue a formal apology to the community for its December 1869 bombardment of Wrangell's Tlingit village, Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw. This is the third recent military apology to Southeast communities after the Navy apologized last fall for its attacks on Kake (1869) and Angoon (1882). Given the rarity of these admissions of guilt, there is little precedent for the structure of the event, meaning the planning - at least for the Wrangell apology - was left up to loc...

  • Tiny's Taxi shuts down, leaving town without cab service

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 8, 2025

    Next time your friend asks for a ride to the airport, say yes. You might be their only hope. After two years in service, Tiny's Taxi turned off the ignition for the last time on Dec. 31. Tiny's has been the island's sole taxi service since Johnny Cab ceased operations last summer. "It's been an incredible journey," Tiny's founder Mike Lewis said. "I've met some amazing people and made some amazing friends. (I've) played catchup with a lot of the old-school locals after 30 years of being gone."...

  • Wrangell student absenteeism rate escalated over past decade; nearly double state average

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 8, 2025

    In the 2022-2023 school year, over 70% of Wrangell students were chronically absent. That's nearly double the state average and nearly three times the national average. The Alaska Department of Education, which posts school district absenteeism numbers every year, defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of the school year. In Alaska, that amounts to 18 days of missed classes. "If a student misses those 18 days every year from kindergarten to 12th grade, that will add up to them being absent...

  • Students headed to Vancouver for international film festival

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 8, 2025

    Wrangell students’ filmmaking efforts are going global — at least to Vancouver, British Columbia. This February, Wrangell high schoolers Jackson Pearson and Silje Morse will travel to the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival alongside teacher Laura Davies. The trio was invited to attend the festival by See Stories — an Alaska nonprofit dedicated to building “inclusive communities with film and story.” See Stories and Wrangell’s high school documentary film club, Stikine Stories (whose program is modeled after See Stories), have collab...

  • Boys basketball drops games at Metlakatla, eyes upcoming Petersburg trip

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 8, 2025

    The high school boys basketball team lost both games at Metlakatla on Jan. 3 and 4. The pair of away matchups was the second half of a four-game series against Metlakatla, dating back to Dec. 20-21 when the Chiefs came to town for Wrangell’s home opener. Despite a valiant third-quarter surge, Wrangell’s efforts were not enough to surpass Metlakatla’s early lead in the Friday game. After the Chiefs closed out the game with a strong fourth, Wrangell started off the weekend with a 41-55 loss. The Saturday matchup was more of the same. Wrang...

  • Girls basketball falls to stiff competition in Metlakatla

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Jan 8, 2025

    Wrangell’s high school girls basketball team has started the year at 0-4 after back-to-back losses at Metlakatla on Jan. 3-4. This is the second weekend in which the Wolves have dropped both games to their southern rivals, though this second round of games provided much more optimism for the young team. In what will probably be the toughest stretch of the season, the girls basketball team not only faced up against the Southeast stalwarts of Metlakatla, but did so without Alana Harrison, who will likely be one of the team’s most critical players...

  • St. Michaels Street rebuild moves to top of borough work list

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Dec 31, 2024

    No New Year’s resolution can possibly improve the condition of St. Michaels Street. After seven water main breaks in the past two years, the borough plans to give some much-needed love to St. Michaels in the spring. The road connects Front Street with Church Street and its surface resembles something of a wide-woven quilt — thanks to the numerous times that repair crews have needed to dig up the asphalt for repairs. Police Chief Gene Meek has even suggested that folks avoid the street during winter months due to ice hazards. Underground, thi...

  • Shorthanded girls basketball team gets off to rough start at home

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Dec 31, 2024

    The Wrangell high school girls basketball team opened their season with back-to-back home losses against Metlakatla. In the Dec. 20 game, Wrangell lost 64-22. The next day, the Wolves fell 62-24. Though neither game was much of a contest, head coach Christy Good understands that at this point in the season generating results comes second to building positive habits. She also noted that the Wolves were without four of their 11 rostered players, including star sophomore Alana Harrison. “We have a lot of things to work on,” Good said. “We neede...

  • Boys basketball team falls to Metlakatla in home opener

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Dec 31, 2024

    The Wrangell boys basketball team lost both home games to Metlakatla in their first competition of the season on Dec. 20 and 21 but playing in Metlakatla this weekend will give the high school squad an opportunity to get even with their southern rivals after an early bye week. The two-game series (one game Friday and one game Saturday) started off with a bit of a rude awakening for Wrangell. Metlakatla won the Friday game 49-26 in a triumphant display in the Wolves’ home gym. On Saturday, Wrangell was far more competitive, though the Chiefs s...

  • Carney a state champion; 3 other Wrangell wrestlers place in top 4

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Dec 31, 2024

    Wrangell's Jackson Carney is a state wrestling champion. The sophomore finished atop the podium in the boys 140-pound bracket after beating Glennallen's Jake Stockhausen in a 7-1 decision. Carney was not the only Wolf with a strong showing at the high school state Division II championship in Anchorage on Dec. 20-21. Della Churchill finished fourth in the girls 120-pound division and Cody Barnes finished fourth in the boys 215-pound bracket. Everett Meissner finished sixth in the 152-pound...

  • Army will issue January apology for 1869 bombardment of Wrangell

    Sam Pausman, Wrangell Sentinel|Dec 18, 2024

    It was 1869 and smoke filled the winter air. Cannon balls ripped through Tlingit homes while U.S. Army shells shrieked across the sky. The same type of artillery used against the Confederates just four years prior was now turned on the Tlingit people of Wrangell, in their homeland which they called Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw. One hundred and fifty-five years later, the U.S. Army is apologizing. The apology is scheduled to take place in Wrangell on Jan. 11, 2025. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Army repr...

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